


Fast Learner

by infernalstars



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M, Rollerblades & Rollerskates, Skateboarding, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Team Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24756664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infernalstars/pseuds/infernalstars
Summary: In which Kevin Day insists that the Foxes go to the roller skating rink for team bonding and Neil Josten cannot roller skate. Yet. Andrew teaches him.
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 1
Kudos: 152





	Fast Learner

**Author's Note:**

> this isn't beta'd and i wrote it in like a day, i just think it's cute idk  
> this is honestly to god just me wanting to learn how to skateboard but anyway, neil's good at everything he does so enjoy i suppose??
> 
> no trigger warnings 
> 
> enjoy xx

Neil sat in the front seat next to Andrew who drove. Behind them were Nicky, Kevin and Renee. Aaron and Katelyn drove together in Katelyn’s car. 

It was unusual, but everyone was invited today.

It was a designated team bonding day, according to Kevin. That, for some reason, meant Aaron could bring Katelyn. Andrew had been annoyed by this information, of course.Neil just didn’t know why they couldn’t rent a fucking cabin in the woods for a week. Why did it have to be roller skating? 

Something Neil certainly couldn’t do. He’d never touched a roller skate in his life and he didn’t want to start now, but he had no choice. Kevin was painfully stubborn about the whole thing. Yes he had to come and yes he had to participate.

Aaron, Nicky and Kevin had already claimed the ramps for themselves, breaking out skateboards Neil had never seen. Neil was certain he’d break his neck if he tried that, and Andrew had offered to teach him to roller skate. It shocked Neil when Andrew asked if he wanted to learn and then said he’d teach him. 

Andrew wasn’t a teacher. He didn’t have the patience for it. But Neil was a fast learner, and always willing to spend some time with the goalie. 

Andrew tied on Neil’s skates and told him to go try and skate while he got his. The rink was mostly vacant, a couple of middle schoolers hanging around, so no one was in his way as Neil clung to the wall.

He made the dumb decision to try and push off the wall, which resulted in him falling flat on his ass. He hissed at the feeling, a little dazed from the whole ordeal. 

He heard laughter across the room and saw Nicky watching from the ramps. “You’re supposed to stay on your feet Neil!” 

Neil grumbled under his breath, pushing to his feet. He couldn’t get a good footing and ended up slipping again. He almost took to pouting and sitting there for the rest of the day. Almost. 

“You’re shit at roller skating,” Andrew said, appearing next to him. “Come on.”

He held out his hands to help Neil up. Neil hesitated as he started reaching up. 

“Neil. If I’m offering my hands to you, you can touch them,” Andrew said making impatient grabby hands.

Neil grabbed his hands and found himself back on his feet. Andrew helped him back over to the wall. Neil clung to it, not wanting to fall again.

“Watch my feet,” Andrew said simply.

He started skating and Neil watched carefully. He pulled himself along the wall to keep up. Andrew circled back to him, skating backwards so he was facing Neil. 

He held out his hands and smirked, “Your turn, junkie.”

Neil grabbed Andrew’s hands and looked down at his feet trying to mimic what Andrew had done. At first it was useless, it wasn’t getting them anywhere. He nearly slipped and fell again, but Andrew kept him upright.

“No, it’s more like you’re walking. Don’t push out so much,” Andrew said, surprisingly patient. 

Neil nodded, doing as Andrew suggested. 

Within a few minutes Neil was off on his own, skating with ease. He passed by Dan and Matt, the latter looking mildly upset. 

“We’ve been here ten minutes and he’s already better than me!” Matt pouted, tripping over himself. 

“You’re doing great,” Dan assured her boyfriend, keeping him right side up. 

Andrew stood up the ramps talking to Nicky when Neil passed by. He skid to a stop next to Andrew. 

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Nicky asked Neil. 

Neil thought about this for a moment. “I can’t draw. My stick figures are shit.”

“That’s true,” Andrew nodded. 

Nicky looked between the two, wondering if they were joking. When he realized neither of them were, he doubled over in laughter. 

“You’re something else, Neil,” Nicky said, turning to go back to skateboarding. 

“Do you skateboard?” Neil asked, leaning against the half wall. 

Andrew nodded. “Yeah. I’m not teaching you that today, too. You’ll just try and do something dumb and get hurt. You’ve got a death wish.”

“Do not!” Neil pouted up at him. 

Andrew just rolled his eyes and looked back up at Nicky as he dropped in. “Why don’t you take a break and just watch for a bit?”

“You want me to watch you?”

“Mhm. Because I know what you like,” Andrew said, skating off. 

Neil just shook his head, watching Andrew return his skates. He came back a few minutes later with a skateboard in hand. The bottom was covered with faded stickers and scuff marks. 

Aaron and Andrew bickered at the top of the half pipe for a moment before Nicky called Aaron to go. 

Katelyn came to a stop next to Neil, watching Aaron pull off a few impressive tricks before coming up next to Nicky. “It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?”

Neil looked over at her. “Yeah, I didn’t even know any of them liked this stuff. Especially Kevin. Seems too...I don’t know...It’s not classy enough for the queen.”

Katelyn laughed. “Aaron said Nicky taught them in high school. He tried to force a bonding experience. They don’t do it so much anymore though. Kevin on the other hand...I’m not sure about him.”

Neil nodded, wondering if Riko had taught him. He wondered then, if he’d know how to skate right now too. His hand instinctively reached up to the scars on his cheekbone where the number four used to be. He finally looked back up as Andrew dropped in. He made an effort to be better than his brother the whole damn time and Neil loved it. Andrew wasn’t Tony Hawk, but he was good. 

Neil found that Andrew was actually good at most things. He just didn’t care to give an effort to most things. Andrew’s grades were impressive, he could completely shut down the goal during an Exy game and he could skateboard. Neil knew he also was a decent cook from weekends alone in Columbia. 

Neil watched intently. “Damn,” he whispered. 

He watched Nicky and Andrew talk, making gestures with their hands. Neil suspected they referenced a couple of tricks. Kevin went, moving through the small indoor course on his skateboard. 

The other foxes had all stopped to watch now too. Kevin jumped, his board twisting under him. He landed with ease and did a lap around the park before gesturing for Nicky to go. 

“Show off!” Nicky shouted in complaint before giving the park his best. 

It lacked the style that Kevin put on his moves but it was still impressive. Aaron’s was fine. Katelyn leaned forward, kissing him when he finished. 

Andrew dropped in when everyone’s eyes were on Aaron and Katelyn. Neil’s eyes snapped to Andrew the moment he moved. He watched the tricks he did, watching as he came to a stop in front of Neil. Neil could have watched him all day.

“And I’m the one with the death wish?” Neil teased because some of those moves looked crazy dangerous had he messed up.

“Yeah, Neil. You are,” Andrew said stubbornly.

“Mhm,” Neil said unconvinced. “Maybe you’ll teach me another time, then?” 

Andrew looked at him with a bored expression and shrugged. “Maybe.” 

Neil smiled and let him get back to trying to one up Kevin. Renee eventually tugged him aside to the food. He’d much rather eat than try to skate, though he had to admit he was getting pretty good at skating. They took a seat with Katelyn who was nibbling on a soft pretzel, staring at her phone. 

Neil had gotten nachos and Renee had gotten a soft pretzel of her own. 

Neil ate his food in peace, listening to Renee and Katelyn talk about upcoming Exy games. Neil didn’t mind sitting out on the conversation as he ate every last chip on his plate. 

He looked over his shoulder at the skate ramp where Aaron and Andrew were bickering again, which resulted in Andrew walking off. 

“They still can’t get along,” Renee said sadly. 

Neil looked over at him. “Well, Aaron has a tendency to be a homophobic asshole.” 

Katelyn nearly spat out her milkshake. She coughed to try and cover her laughter. Laughter. Renee and Neil shared an uneasy look.

“Katelyn?” Renee asked. 

“Oh god, sorry. It’s just...he’s right. Aaron spends half his time complaining and Nicky and Andrew because they don’t shut up about their boyfriends...er...whatever you and Andrew are.”

Neil looked over his shoulder again. He knew it was Betsy’s problem to figure out and help the twins, but he liked Andrew a lot. And Aaron was his brother, he wanted to be on halfway decent terms with him.

“Neil, don’t worry about it. Aaron loves his brother...he’s just got some stuff to work through. He’s been better about it. He said he told Andrew that you’re good for him. He hasn’t seen Andrew this happy in a while,” Katelyn reached over, squeezing his hand. 

He nodded, hating that he was letting Aaron’s opinion of him bother him so much. It was dumb It shouldn’t bother him. A few minutes later Andrew was standing next to them with a strawberry milkshake in hand. Neil moved over so he could sit next to him. Andrew sat down, arm draped over the back of the booth, not touching Neil. 

Neil took a bit of pretzel that Renee offered. 

They all sat in comfortable silence, even Katelyn who had grown used to Andrew. 

It wasn’t much later than that when Andrew needed a smoke break. Neil followed him like a lost puppy to sit on the curb outside the rink. He breathed in the smoke, content to just sit next to him in silence. Interestingly enough it was Andrew that broke it.

“Did you enjoy your first time roller skating?” Andrew asked, not looking at Neil.

Neil nodded. “Thank you for teaching me.” 

Andrew didn’t say anything, tossing his cigarette on the pavement and stamping it out. Neil watched before looking up at him.

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked. 

“Yes.”

Andrew leaned over and kissed him. 

“You looked really hot when you skateboard, ‘Drew,” Neil mumbled against his lips. 

Andrew pulled back, looking up at him. “Do you ever shut up?”

“No, but you know how to make me,” he said with a grin. 

“Later, junkie,” Andrew sighed, leaning up to kiss him again. 

Neil was perfectly content with later.


End file.
